Artemis_Acorn Member

The key to using this line is saying it with sincerity and urgency: "Oh, please, stop right now. I am allergic to unsolicited advice. I have a very bad reaction to it." If they continue, you can always add, "I don't want anyone to go to the hospital today."

I've used MFP off and on since 2011. I've done the CICO formula successfully, and understand those who want to believe that it is just that simple. It worked well every time. For about six months. And then it stopped working. My body adapted to the reduced caloric intake by lowering my BMR. This is a well-documented…

Eggplant Cilantro Parsnips Okra Rhubarb Liver Seaweed

55 here. Getting healthy again is my #1 focus right now.

The setting that most likely kicked you up over 2000 is your activity level. If you feel instinctively that the calorie allotment is too high, try moving down one level, like from "Very Active" to "Active."

Dumplings, macaroni, potatoes, and rice are all simple carbs. Beans are also high in carbohydrates, although they are complex carbs, which helps. For each gram of carbohydrate, your body needs to hold onto 3 grams of water, which adds up fast if you're shoveling in the pasta and potatoes. Eating so many carbs, particularly…

I have PCOS too, and the struggle is real! You haven't mentioned what your macro settings are, but you might want to try adjusting those - fewer carbs, more quality protein and healthy fats. The carbs you do eat should be primarily complex carbs too. If you eat a lot of fruit, cut back on the fruit and eat more non-starchy…

I've had my Link armband for over a year and I wore it even when I wasn't focusing on health due to family issues. I wear it with short sleeves and don't feel the least bit uncomfortable doing so. If people ask what it is (most assume it's some sort of medically necessary device) I tell them and that's that. For me, it's…

I've had PCOS for decades. I spend over ten years just trying to find out what was wrong, and finally, after exhaustive research, I diagnosed myself, printed off tons of information and took it to the doc for confirmation. He was clueless and sent me to a specialist. Since I already had children, nobody was interested in…

If you're into alternative medicine, the herbal supplement "Horse Chestnut" has been proven to help with venous insufficiency, (aka poor circulation) I took it for awhile to help accelerate getting past the itchy stage. I only needed one bottle of it before the exercise itself improved my circulation. If you're on any…

This is a symptom of poor circulation. I had it even as a teenager, trying to jog on the high-school track. When a sedentary person with poor circulation starts exercising, a greater amount of blood is forced into the vessels in their epidermal and subcutaneous skin layers, creating an itching sensation. This effect is…

I'm a 52 year-old happily married woman who has struggled with weight all my life. I have had more men flirt with me in the past 5 years than in all the preceding years together. (excepting my husband of course) As for the reasons, I couldn't say, except that perhaps it is because I'm more comfortable in my own skin than I…

I use my Medifast Blender to crush ice all the time. The key seems to be to crush it alone - don't add any liquid until the ice is crushed.

Something else I've found really does make a difference, and isn't covered in the exercise, macro and water equation, is the amount of sleep I'm getting. MUST have a solid 7-8 hours of sleep per night for weight loss to happen. With my bodymedia armband, I have discovered that means I must be laying down between 8-9 hours.…

I do think the soy is having an effect on me - I had to resort to my herbal solution to slow things down this month - it's been 7-8 years since I've needed to use that!

I'm going to try the zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice! Both sound awesome!

If I have the time in the morning, I weigh every day. It helps me to recognize the patterns of my body - I don't get hung up on a little up-tic or when I retain water due to my TOM, it just helps keep me focused.

I come to this topic with a slightly different perspective. I too started in January, after the heavy-duty holidays were over, and have done quite well staying on plan. Then, on March 16, my father, who had Alzheimer's but was physically still quite healthy, passed away suddenly. I literally packed in half an hour and was…

It's up and down. Most nights I get between 6-1/2 and 7-1/2 hours.

Okay, lets start by clearing something up. You did not FAIL. You had a bump in the road and strayed from the plan a bit. It is not a failure. Look at it this way -- you made it two whole weeks being on plan before you messed up. You did it for two weeks, so you know you have what it takes to do this for two more, and two…

There has been lots of good advice in the replies so far. I would add that based on what you've said, your wife is waiting to be your ally in this, and that, my friend, is truly a gift. So many of us have spouses who (intentionally or unintentionally) sabotage our efforts. My advice is this: Tell her that you're ready to…

That is awesome! Congratulations on a great first week!

3.6 is actually amazing when you consider how little you have left to go. You're doing great! It can be hard to to maintain perspective when we are being so disciplined and hear stories about people having stunning early losses. One thing to consider is that usually, when people drop a huge chunk of weight right out the…

I didn't have that experience, but I do admit that I have had an excessively gurgle-y tummy after some MF meals. It was more frequent when I first started, and only happens occasionally now. I suspect that the composition of the food is something our systems have to adapt to.

I just made a shake with the Chocolate Mint soft-serve. I used about double the ice, and added half a cup of unsweetened Almond Milk in place of the water. Added a Tablespoon of Torani Sugar-Free Peppermint syrup and it came out the consistency of a fast-food chocolate shake. Thinner than the soft-serve, but thicker than…

Chubby girl = chubby pre-adolescent = chubby teen = starving teen = average young adult and newlywed who didn't know how to eat healthy. Had 3 babies in six years = chubby mom. Onset of yo-yo dieting years. Oh, and I love food, especially sugar, cheese and chocolate. I'm a good cook and a better baker. I don't like…

Excellent question. I don't know the official position - I know that one point of the recommended timing is to stabilize blood sugar and head off hunger pains. Practically speaking however, there have been occasions when I have adjusted the timing and ate my MF meals closer together or further apart than the 2-3 hours, and…

That's the sort of question I run past my health coach. I've asked my coach questions she didn't know the answer to before, and she was able to check with the medical staff at MF to get the information I needed.

Love the Mrs. Dash blends - I use those to season my lean and greens a lot. I also use Onion and Garlic powder in a lot of things. Cayenne is great to make things hotter, and the Chili of course, is better with more Chile powder and some salsa. Cinnamon in the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, a bit of Maple extract in the Maple and…

I buy the boxes of True Lemon and True Lime in the baking aisle at the grocery store. It is a crystallized form of the juice, each packet equals one wedge of fresh lemon or lime and they taste just like fresh lemon and lime. I use them to season chicken and fish, to make lemonade and limeade (or lemonlimeade) and to add…